•
Promoting individually appropriate,
enjoyable, life-enhancing physical activity, rather
than exercise that is focused
on a goal of weight loss1

There is considerable
scientific evidence supporting the HAES® approach and
establishing that “obesity” is not the health risk it has been reported to be.

•
Weight and BMI are poor predictors of
disease and longevity.2,3,4,5,6 The
bulk of epidemiological evidence
suggests that five pounds “underweight” is
more dangerous than 75 pounds
“overweight.”4,7

•
Multiple studies are suggesting that a
focus on weight as a health criterion is
often misdirected and harmful.8,9,10

•
In a study comparing the HAES® model to
a diet approach, though only dieters
lost weight, both groups initially had similar improvements in metabolic
fitness,
activity levels, psychological measures, and eating behaviors. After two years,
dieters had regained their weight and lost the health improvements, while the
HAES®
group sustained their health
improvements.11

The HAES® approach is
based on substantial data which documents that weight
loss programs are not
effective at improving health and often cause harm.

•
Restrictive dieting is an ineffective
long-term prescription for “obesity,” as up to 95% of
dieters regain the weight
they lost, and sometimes more, within three years.12,13

•
Restrictive dieting and weight cycling
can lead to physical complications including
slowed metabolism, reduced muscle
tissue and body temperature,
and eating disorders.14,15

•
Weight-loss surgery (WLS) intentionally
damages healthy organs in order to force
adherence to a restrictive diet and
incurs a host of short- and long-term risks
including death and malnutrition.16,17

The HAES® approach focuses on the empirically-validated
factors that are associated
with health and longevity, for people across the
weight spectrum. The HAES® approach does not waste money.

•
Using BMI as a proxy for health,
traditional approaches misidentify those who
need intervention.

•
A recent government survey indicated
that over half the “overweight” adults
(51.3%) being targeted are metabolically
healthy, and one in four “normal weight”
(23.5%) metabolically unhealthy adults
are overlooked.18

•
Therefore, even assuming weight loss
were possible, and that it worked to improve
health, half of every dollar is
wasted and one in five people who need help do not get it.

The HAES® approach provides an alternative which avoids the
harmful consequences of efforts to combat “childhood obesity” and the denial of equal access to health care
coverage and service to millions of adults, both of which create additional
health risks for these individuals.

• Singling out larger
children and youth for weight-related interventions in schools
increases both
anxiety for the child and stigmatization, prejudice, and harassment towards the
child.19,20,21

• 81% of 10-year-olds admit to dieting,
binge eating, or a fear of getting fat and we are now
seeing eating disorders
in children as young as five.22

• Routine preventative health services
are denied to people who are of high BMI.23,24 Many
larger
individuals avoid seeking health care due to stigma and shame.23,24

The HAES® approach does not add to the stigma against people
of size.

•
One of the major vectors for weight
stigma is the well-documented bias against fat people among healthcare
providers, policy makers, and those in the weight loss industry.25,26,27

•
The stress of experiencing stigma and
discrimination is also believed to account for health disparities seen in minority
groups, including individuals of size.28

In health care policy and service provision the implementation of
the
evidence-based HAES® paradigm will refocus efforts on health practices for
people of all sizes and improve health without perpetuating stigma.

• The HAES® model will ensure that individuals of all sizes are
allowed access
to healthcare coverage and to quality affordable health care
prevention and treatment services.

• In education and employment, the HAES® model will provide that all youth and adults have opportunities
to learn the importance of eating nutrient rich foods and engaging in enjoyable
physical activity from a weight-neutral perspective.

• In diversity training programs in employment, policy, and school
environments the HAES® model ensures that size-diversity is included in the
human diversities to be valued and respected.